Crying Without Tears
by ShadowandKnucklesgirlforever
Summary: May never imagined she would be stuck in some dark woods, attacked by a less than happy pokemon, saved by Drew, drenched in rain and learning more than she ever thought possible about him. Of course, she isn't complaining...that much! Oneshot! May x Drew


_Okay, this is my first story in the Pokemon section so I'm a little nervous about what people will think, but here we go! It's like a mix of fluff and angst. Please enjoy! _

**Disclaimer**: I don't own May, Drew and/or any other Pokemon related character. All I own is my creativity.

**Summary**: While in Johto, May stumbles into some troubles but is saved by the help of Drew. And as fate would have it, she'll discover more about his past and why he acts the way he does. Oneshot! Contestshipping!

**Crying Without Tears**

_She shuttered in alarm. _

May's forearm brushed against something wispy, and it sent chills vibrating up her back. She mentally slapped herself after realizing it was only slimy forest vine; she was apprehensive from having only her guessing skills to rely on to get back to her campsite.

She had sent Eevee out to help find her way, but it had yet to return. It was foolish enough for her to come out to Johto with only Eevee but then on top of that, her flashlight decided to go dead after she had made it to the lake. It was dangerously nearing night, and she was completely lost in some unknown area in Johto.

'_Next time, I'll pick up some batteries from the PokeMart before I leave,' _she reminded herself.

The brunette paused and tried to jump start her flashlight batteries by flicking it against the palm of her hand; it didn't even sputter. She inwardly sighed in frustration as her attempt was in vain. She stuffed the useless object back into her pouch on the back of her hip and continued on her way. The canteen of water she had just recently obtained bounced lightly against her thigh as she maneuvered herself over what she had hoped was a fallen log.

Suddenly, May froze and held her breath as a shadow shuffled behind her leaving a trail of leaves falling back to their original position on the ground.

'_It's probably just a wild pokemon, nothing to be afraid of,'_ she said consoling herself, although it didn't help much. "Eevee, where are you?" May called not allowing her voice to reach anywhere above a whisper.

The plants in front of her began to shake, and the co-ordinator hopped back on to what she assumed was a tree. A creature emerged from darkness and into her seeing area and her muscles visibly relaxed.

"Vee?"

The chocolate and cream colored pokemon must have heard her cry for it emerged from the bushes the moment its trainer finished her sentence.

"Oh Eevee," she paused, releasing the breath caught in her throat, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Eevee?" it cooed, with an expression on concern planted on her features.

"I'm fine," May replied giving a false smile to satisfy her young pokemon. The female bent down and began petting her pokemon. "Did you find how to get out of here?"

The pokemon looked down and whimpered in disappointment.

May softened her cerulean eyes and sighed, "It's okay; you tried your best," she said gathering her pokemon in her arms and standing up. "How about we go together this time? Between the two of us, we should be able to find a way out. And if worst comes to worst, we might have to camp out here. Okay?" May closed her eyes and smiled contently at her pokemon. She felt more comfortable with Eevee around.

"Eevee vee!" it said mimicking her expression.

The duo began their hunt through the forest with May becoming more uneasy with each step they took. She had been hearing twigs snap and leaves rustle all around her but to make matters worst, they just kept getting louder. Or so she thought. Was she going insane from fear?

Something scoffed behind her, barely rubbing against her skin. This time she _knew _something was there.

"Who's there?" she whimpered weakly as she grabbed her pokemon. She slowly turned on the balls of her feet and clutched on to what she thought was a vine to prevent her from stumbling back in fear.

'_There's nothing behind me. There's nothing there…'_ she mentally mumbled as she was finishing her rotation completely.

And then she saw it hovering over her, and her breath stopped as did time. It was a purple cobra with red, black and gold marking across its chest; its hot breath pressed against her upper half of her body and she knew that her bad luck was catching up with her.

It was an Arbok, and not a happy one at that.

The female co-ordinator was paralyzed in fear, and her cerulean eyes widened as it hissed furiously for her for crossing its territory. It made no move of letting up or allowing them to go.

Seeing that her trainer wasn't moving, Eevee broke free from her grasp and crouched down in fighting position. "Eevee," it growled, baring its fangs and prepared to attack.

The snake charged and initiated the battle. It went in for a head butt, and the defending pokemon braced itself; it hit dead on in the chest area.

"Eevee!" May's pokemon cried which made the girl snap out of her trace as her Eevee was launched backwards from the powerful hit; It was heading straight towards her.

The brunette put her hands in front of her to break the pokemon's fall but when her pokemon came crashing into her upper body, it flung the two in the opposite direction they were facing. May cried out from the impact and grabbed onto Eevee protectively.

'_That's a powerful Arbok,'_ the co-ordinator thought in awe as she cracked open her left eye.

But there was no time for that.

May desperately swung her legs to find the ground and to her confusion, she found none. But when her back landed roughly against the earth, and she continued to tumble at a rapid pace, it was enough to tell her they had been thrown off a ledge. She held firmly onto her pokemon until they hit the ground with a hard thud.

She groaned pushing her sore limbs of the ground and opening her eyes slowly. Her pokemon looked up at its trainer with a concerned gaze from where May was hovering over her like a shield. May had managed to rid Eevee of most of the damage by shifting her weight with each fall, but now her body was paying the price for it.

"A-are you okay, Eevee?" May whispered, so she could gather her breath and get her nerves under control.

"Vee eevee," the pokemon said painfully. It rolled over and shook the excess dirt from its fur. The brunette turned over as well and plopped down on her rear as she sighed. Her mom had always said she was clumsy and always ended up in trouble. May was finally beginning to realize it was just bad luck, not being a klutz.

The pokemon began licking its bruises until a presence made it shoot its ears up in alert and run in front of its master.

"What's wrong?" the female asked nervously. Her body went stiff again, and her blue orbs scanned the now dark forest anxiously. They weren't out of danger yet.

Her question went unanswered as a low hissing was heard. "Arbok," the snake whispered in malice.

May bit her bottom lip._ 'It still wants to fight?'_ she questioned incredulously. Her eyes wandered to the brown pokemon, who was panting slightly from exertion. _'But I don't know if Eevee can handle much more. We've been traveling most of the day, and I'm not sure if she has recovered yet.'_ She stood up sluggishly still feeling the effects of that fall. Her left ankle was suffering the most right now from her weight. "Eevee, are you up to it?"

"Ee eevee!" she cried back as she hopped into attack mode.

"Okay then Eevee, use Shadow Ball now!" she said pointing directly at the snake pokemon. She could hardly see a thing, so all she could hope was that it was different in Eevee's case.

The small brown creature complied as it gathered up dark energy in it mouth to ready the attack. The larger pokemon slithered in for a head butt again before the other pokemon could attack. Eevee fired the attack, and it hit Arbok right in the face; however, it barely had an effect as the snake sunk its teeth into May's pokemon.

"I forgot dark type moves are ineffective against poison types like Arbok…" she mumbled at her foolishness.

"Eve!" the pokemon shrieked in pain as the poisonous fangs plunged deeper into her tiny fame.

"No!" the co-ordinator cried in fear that her baby pokemon could have been injured.

The viper released it grip and chucked itself into the ground.

'_Oh no, where did it go?'_ The red clad teenager gasped. It was just too dark to see a thing; if only her flashlight worked. She franticly scanned the area with Eevee doing the same. Then inspiration struck at the last moment. "Eevee, you use dig too!"

The brown fox was about to start her attack when the earth began to collapse from under its feet. Eevee halted its assault in shock and looked down to see the creature emerging from the ground from below.

"Eevee, dodge it!" May bit her lip, hoping her command wasn't too late.

Eevee hopped into the air as the Arbok shot up and rammed itself into the smaller pokemon for a direct hit on its stomach.

"Vee!" it cried out but it when unheard as its mind began to slip into unconsciousness; its body fell limply to the ground. The pokemon sluggishly attempted to get up, but it was no use.

May quickly reached into her bag around her waist and pulled out Eevee's pokeball. "Eevee, return," she demanded after expanding the ball larger.

A red light blasted from the red and white sphere in an attempt to recall the fallen pokemon, but it was a failed endeavor. The snake blocked the way by wrapping its body around Eevee and began to squeeze tightly.

The girl bit her lip in frustration. This pokemon was just too strong and as much as Eevee had tried, it wasn't enough. All she could do is watch as Arbok ruthlessly beat on her pokemon. She should have never been so foolish to think that she could travel with only one pokemon. She closed her eyes as the constriction continued to become tighter and tighter.

May was about to snatch out her flashlight and go attempt to fend off the wild pokemon from Eevee the best she could, when a voice called out making her halt on the spot and turn to the direction it came from.

"Vulpix, use flamewheel now!"

A fiery hot ball of fire shot of from the cliff and charged full force at the Arbok before landing a burning hit on its face. The snake hissed in pain and released the pokemon into the air that it was currently holding.

May ran and caught her pokemon before it fell roughly on the ground. Who had just called out that flamewheel attack and saved her?

She turned to find her savior skidding down the side of the cliff. His perfect emerald hair blowing back in the wind, his long-sleeved black shirt neatly tucked in his light blue jeans and instead of that purple jacket, a dark lavender unzipped vest took its place. It was no other than her Pokemon Contest rival and friend, Drew.

"Drew!" May called fondly, but her calls of praise where cut short as Eevee made a distressed groan. "Eevee, are you okay?" There was no response. Her pokemon laid limply in her arms, and she wasn't breathing in controlled breaths. It wasn't looking good. But the best thing to do would be to put Eevee back in her ball for now.

'_Please be okay…'_ she thought to herself about her pokemon.

She brought out its pokeball and retracted the brown fox back in. "Thank you, Eevee. You deserve a nice long rest." May glimpsed up as Drew finished descending the ledge and came running her way.

"Are you alright?" he asked once he reached her. His face was light hue of pink and his breathing slightly labored; he had clearly been running to get here.

'_He always seems to find me whenever I need help the most,'_ May thought as her smile expanded across her features. The co-ordinator nodded before answering, "I'm okay now that you're here," she looked down and her cheeks flushed a bit, "but how did you find me?" Of course she wasn't complaining, but it was quite ironic that he had saved her at the last moment.

'_Just like in the movies,'_ her mind added subconsciously.

The jade orbed male just combed his hands through his silky matching hair before flipping out of his face. "My May senses were tingling," he replied in a conceited matter. His quote directly off of Ariados-man.

May rolled her eyes at his comment but continued to play along. "My hero!" she howled over excitedly as she mimicked what the damsel in distress did in the movie. May completed the gesture by pulling him into a big hug, burying her face deeper in his shirt to hide her growing blush. But all the joking got pushed aside as Vulpix came crashing in at their feet, who they had forgotten about in the battle.

The fox slowly hopped up and shook of the dirt from the impact. Drew focused his eyes on the Arbok, who wasn't down for the count, and prepared for an attack.

"Alright Vulpix, use quick attack and then follow it up with flamethrower."

The fire fox charged in with a burst of speed too quick for the Arbok to keep up. The cobra swung its tail to avoid being hit, but Drew's pokemon disappeared with ease and then knocked into it from the other side with a hard hit. Vulpix then gathered fire into his mouth before shooting a flame of fire at his opponent. The snake fell back to retreat, hissing loudly in pain.

May gaped at the scene that she'd just witnessed. Drew had always been an excellent trainer, but the way his Vulpix moved was incredible yet graceful at the same time. Of course, she'd never say that out loud with him around because he'd just rub it in her face and just make her mad about it…

Well, at least he would have in the past. But the Drew she had encountered last time was so withdrawn on his cruel comments, and she liked that more then being bad mouth every chance he got. Yet, that didn't mean he still didn't joke around with her. He was still Drew, maybe just more reserved.

"May, you might want to close you mouth before swallow a Beautifly."

The female snapped out of her reverie and looked at the male and then back at the shirt she was still clutching and once more back to him. They both stared at each other for a while before May released him with a surprised yelp and rotated to where his Vulpix was trotting back over to them; her face was as crimson as her shirt. The boy just chucked at her antics and pulled out a pokeball and his flashlight. Once Vulpix was back in its ball, he flashed a light in the back of her head from his flashlight.

"Aw, I don't get a thank you kiss?" The male co-ordinator complained. "And here I thought I was your hero."

"Yeah well," May started as she turned back to him but stopped as the flashlight's radiant got caught in her sapphire eyes and instantly brought up her hands to shield it.

'_Where did that light come from?'_ she thought as she toppled backwards and fell very ungracefully in her bottom.

May was speechless. Drew was quite amused as he shined the light down to her level but away from her face this time; he hadn't meant for the light take her by surprise.

"You never stop amazing me with your clumsiness," he paused to watch her face heat up in embarrassment, "or have you just _fallen_ for me?" He bent down to pluck a leaf out of her tangled hair.

The brunette sweatdropped and smiled sheepishly, yet she didn't answer the overused pun. She was too wrapped up in inspecting his features more in the moon's light. He hadn't changed a bit, but she liked him before anyway. "No, it's nothing like that," she quietly replied before attempting to get rise back up, but she collapsed back unto the grass with a grunt.

Drew's amused expression dropped to a bewildered one, and he looked at her ankle that she was grasping onto. He removed her yellow shoe and sock, and she whimpered in pain. Her ankle was red, but it wasn't swelling yet. Her arm had also been injured and was bleeding a little where it had some scrapes and bruises.

"How did this happen?" he asked cautiously.

May began to shrug in an I-don't-know matter when she froze as the memory came crashing back to her. "That Arbok came out of nowhere and knocked me and Eevee off the cliff," she indicated, pointing to the ledge he'd come down recently. "I didn't notice because the situation. But really, it doesn't hurt."

'_Lair…'_ she inwardly thought.

He squeezed her ankle after she finished her comment, and she quickly retracted it away from his touch. Drew raised quizzical eyebrow at her. "That much," she quickly added on as she turned her head and poked out her bottom lip in one swift motion. The boy rolled his eyes at her antics and reached into his inner vest pocket and pulled out a jade cloth engraved with _'DH'_ in the left corner.

"And that's why you can't even support it with your weight. Nice try, May." His voice caused her to peek on eye open to see the boy wanted to check her arm next.

Drew held out his hand for her May to give him her injured limb. She gave into his will; however, she eyed him warily as he did so. "Just don't squeeze it."

The male co-ordinator was tempted to say 'I thought it didn't hurt,' but reframed from it. As much fun as it was to pick on the brunette, now probably wasn't the best time for it.

He began to tie around her arm wound, and she protested loudly.

"No, it'll get all dirty!" she exclaimed, snatching her arm away only for him to grab it and continue what he was doing.

"So now you want to bleed out on the ground?" he added sarcastically. The co-ordinator was becoming impatient with her. Drew supposed he shouldn't have made that comment considering what she went though tonight. So he didn't say anything else as he finished his handy work with a tug. He looked up to meet her crystal tear felt eyes.

"I don't want to be a burden…" she sniffed quietly, turning her head so Drew wouldn't see the water leaking from her eyes.

However, her charade didn't fool him for a minute. He definitely didn't mean to make her cry. But it would have been stupid for her to be walking around without that wound covered up with something…

She turned back to him when she felt a warm finger wipe her tears. Emerald met a pool of sapphire and for that moment, both where transfixed on each other as time stopped. He ran his finger down her cheek bone and to the tip of her chin before rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

May felt her face redden at the contact but couldn't find the words to ask him what he was doing. But it felt nice actually.

After a minute or so, he retracted his hand. "My mother used to do that to me…"

His mother? He had never heard him mention anything about his family to her. "But you could never be a burden if you tried," he mumbled to her, flicking her nose playfully in the process; he earned a half growl, but it instantly turned into a small laugh.

"Thanks…" she said and laughed halfheartedly. She began wiping her eyes from the rest of the tears she'd recently shed; a futile attempt to actually steady her pounding heart by trying not to think about how close they were. She grabbed her removed shoe and began putting it on, finding the ground to be very interesting at the moment.

The clouds began to gather overhead at a rapid pace, unbeknownst to the duo until the moon's luminosity had vanished completely.

"Ohh," May whined before sighing, "I hope a storm isn't on the way."

If on cue, lighting shone from the heavens followed the loud booming of thunder; this caused the female to cry out, and the male to become shocked by the noise. Then the rain came shortly after, pouring its water all over the place in a heavy shower. May and Drew face went from distress to sulking.

"Me and my big mouth…" May was about mutter when that light flashed back in her face. She was about to yell at him when she noticed that he wasn't doing it out of pleasure but handing it to her for some reason. She took it and pointed back at him.

"Here," the green haired boy said, taking off his purple vest. May took it with a bewildered expression flooding her face so he added, "With that outfit on you're gonna catch a cold."

May looked down at her now soaking wet attire that clung to her body. Her red and white shirt was short-sleeved while her blue shorts were…well short too. She nodded, finally understanding and draped the vest over shoulders.

She shifted her gaze back upward. Her eyes followed Drew as he turned his back to her and swatted down in a crouching position and rotated his head at her. "Hop on," he ordered simply.

The co-ordinator's face exploded into a deep ruby color, and she ducked her head down as she shuffled her feet in the dirt from where she was sitting. But she didn't say anything.

"Anytime you're ready," Drew finally mentioned after a few minutes of waiting.

"S-sorry," the embarrassed teen apologized before hobbling over to him and getting on his back. She wanted to protest and tell Drew she could walk, but something told her he wasn't going to stand for that. Although he had a funny way of showing it, the brunette could tell he was worried about her.

He slipped his arms under her creamy ivory skin and hoisted them up. He shifted her weight a bit so he could run more comfortably as she placed her arms around his neck.

"May, could you point the light at the ground?"

"Oh!" she gasped as realization flooded over her as to why she was holding the flashlight. Truth be told, she had forgotten that the flashlight was in her hands.

She did as directed, and Drew took off a faster pace than May thought was possible with her on his back.

"I'm assuming you're heading toward Goldenrod City?" he asked after a while, getting use to feeling the extra weight on his back. She was a lot lighter than he expected.

"Yeah," May said quickly as she wrapped one arm around the runner and keeping the light focused on the ground with the other. "Me and Eevee we're heading that way but, we kinda got lost. We we've been traveling all day."

"Goldenrod is just a mile from this road," he said, nodding his head in the direction they were heading.

"Really? I think me and Eevee were going in a circle all day," she laughed sheepishly. "I can't read a map too well. Max, my brother, usually did that for us when I was traveling with Ash and the others."

"I should have known you couldn't read a PokeNav." May scoffed in response.

The lightning boomed and clashed breaking the conversation to silence, except of the splatter of rain on the ground.

The storm wasn't getting any better as more water leaked from the sky. It was getting ridiculously hard to see and even more difficult to run, more or less with someone on your back.

"Drew, be careful!" May cried as the male pokemon co-ordinator jumped over a fallen log earning more screams from protest from the girl. "Maybe we should find a nearby cave or something." The brunette tightened her grip and buried her face in the side of his neck, trying to stop the rain from hitting her in the face to hard.

There was no response or maybe he just didn't hear her, however, May forgot about her suggestion as she became wrapped up in his intoxicating smell._ 'He smells like pine needles…'_ she thought, inhaling and exhaling his scent against that bare part of his skin. The smell of pine had always calmed her and this time was no exception; however, she wasn't aware at how close she was to him. It felt nice to feel cared for again.

This time it was the emerald haired teen's turn to blush as her warm breath sent chills through his clammy skin all over. It was enough to almost make to him, The Great Drew Hayden, lose composure.

_Almost…_

_o_

In the Pokemon Center, a nurse about 20 years in age was typing away on her computer. She was making sure all the injured pokemon's vitals and stats were in a good, healthy range. Her magenta hair flowed over her shoulder as her fingers slid gracefully along the keys.

"Good, everyone's in tip top shape," the women named Nurse Joy said to no in particular.

She pulled down on her short white dress and straightened her nursing matching hat with a red cross on it. It was about eight o' clock, and she hoped everyone was in safely from the storm. There would be no late night parties tonight. It looked terrible outside now, but she believed it would clear up soon.

"Chansey," a round pink pokemon said, approaching the nurse behind the desk. She had an egg in her pouch and an identical hat like the female nurse she was calling to.

"Hello Chansey, how are all the patients doing tonight?"

"Chansey chan," she replied back, nodding positively.

"That's always good news to my ears," Nurse Joy said, closing her eyes to smile at her partner kindly.

Abruptly, the electronic doors swung open, and two figures came stumbling inside the Pokemon Center soaking wet. The bottom person collapsed onto the ground and the other one fell with him. Apparently, the bottom person had been carrying the top. They both looked exhausted.

"Oh dear!" The nurse cried in worry as she reached the unlucky teens. They looked alright just really muddy and tired. "Chansey, go get some towels please."

The pokemon did as told and curried away. The female in red rolled of the top of her partner and groaned in pain. She lay sprawled out on the glossy floor, extending her arms and legs stretched out completely. Drew, on the other hand, stayed in his position until he caught his breath again. They had no intention of moving anytime soon.

Nurse Joy just looked on at the duo with a smile and waited for her helper to return.

_o_

A couple of minutes later, everyone was all dried off and had gained their breath. The brunette was sitting around the lounge having Chansey inspect her wounds. Surprisingly, the pokemon nurse was a really good hand; she had completely healed her ankle and was moving to her arm. However, it took awhile to for the process to finish considering she wasn't a pokemon.

And to put it short, May was bored out of her mind.

She squirmed in the chair, trying to find something to do, but the Chansey reprimanded her on her movements.

"Sorry…" the girl mumbled with a nervous look on her face. She stuffed her free hand in the vest pocket and sighed. She never liked sitting still for long and right now was no exception.

Involuntarily, her hand began to fish around in the pocket when it brushed over a stray object. She grabbed whatever it was and brought it out so she could see it. She brought her hand up to examine it in the light.

"It's a necklace…"

She brushed her thumb over the metal and traced along the small flower prints engraved around the bottom's edge.

'_It's not a necklace; it's a locket.' _

The co-ordinator glanced up to make sure nobody, namely Drew, was around to find her peeking at his private belongings. Luckily, he was at the front desk talking with Nurse Joy about room arrangements. She directed her focus back to the piece of jewelry in her hand. It was rather old, so the locket popped right open without much trouble.

Inside was a picture of a young lady about 15 or 16 wearing a sunny yellow sundress with beige straw hat and her jade hair, braided up and flowing over her shoulder. Her eyes were soft and complemented her hair in the same tone. She was sitting down; however, for it to be a picture, she wasn't smiling. The picture looked faded just like the locket.

May's eyes widened at how beautiful this girl was. _'She's gorgeous. Is this one of Drew's friends or maybe it's a girlfriend of his.'_

Drew never mentioned he had a girlfriend but maybe he did. It's not like they ever discussed his private life or her's for that matter. But if he does or did, she must mean or meant the world to him if he carries a locket with her picture in it.

May felt her eyes welling up with tears, but she didn't know why. It's not as if she _liked_ Drew. He was always insulting her, rude, and bringing her down. But as her thoughts rolled on all she could think of was how he _didn't_ do any of those things today or the last time she saw him. He was sweet and kind…

The bandana wearing girl shook her head, ridding the thoughts in her head and brushed over the locket with her thumb, ridding of any extra dust. With that single motion, she noticed some writing under the photograph.

"Serenity Hayden…" she read aloud. _'A name as beautiful as the person.'_

"Chansey!" the nurse said upon completion.

"Ah!" May shouted as she toppled out of seat and unto the floor in shock. She closed the locket and stuffed it back in his vest pocket. Her face was flushed realizing she had been discovered for snooping. She looked up to see the egg carrying pokemon looking at her surprised and then she understood that Chansey was saying it was done.

"Chan chansey chan," the pokemon said handing her the napkin that was tied around her forearm. May gladly accepted it and began to fold it when the golden lettering design stopped her.

'_DH? It probably stands for Drew…'_ her thoughts trail off as she tried to think of his last name. But she didn't know it. He never said it or was it announced in contest. What was his last name?

"Don't think too hard, or you might just hurt yourself…again," a voice rung overhead. May looked up to see Drew hovering over her with a curious expression covering his features. "Do I even want to know?"

The clumsy teen laughed wholeheartedly and shook her head. "I'm most clumsy when you're around. I guess you're just bad luck."

The emerald haired boy raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "On the contrary May, many people say that I'm good luck."

May rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who the 'people' were in his statement: fan girls. "I'll bet…" she replied; her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Drew opened his mouth to point out how jealous she was acting but he stopped and redirected the conversation. "How are you feeling?" he asked, holding out his hand.

May was taken back but took his hand anyway. He hoisted her up in a quick motion and she smiled in appreciation.

"I feel just fine," she said, jumping up and down on her now healed ankle just so he could see. "Thanks for asking."

"Excuse me, Mr. Hayden," Nurse Joy said from behind the duo as she approached them. "I tried to find two separate rooms, but without a reservation, it's hard finding a room at all, especially in Goldenrod City."

May and Drew faces faulted at the same time.

"But," the female adult continued, "there is a VIP suite that hasn't been taken yet; however, it's pretty pricey. I'm sorry, but that's all I have to offer at this moment."

"VIP?" May asked. No way would she be able to pay for a fraction of that!

"We'll take it," Drew said and turned to face a shocked co-ordinator. "That is if you'll be willing to stay with me."

The brunette widened her aqua eyes. "I-I wouldn't mind, but I just don't have that kind of money to even pay half-"

Drew flicked his hair to the side and winked at her, "Don't worry about it. I got it."

"Oh, but you don't have to-"

"Don't worry about, there's no where else to stay in a city like this and don't even say you'll sleep outside."

May nodded and smiled with gratitude. "Thank you very much, Drew."

"Don't mention it."

"So, now that is situated. I'll show you to your room," the nurse said handing the key to Drew and May's pokeball back to them. "Right this way."

The nurse stepped from behind the front counter and led the duo down the hallway to the sleeping quarters. "Chansey, please watch the front counter while I'm gone!" she called over her shoulder.

"Chansey!" the pokemon replied back, saluting to the head of the Pokemon Center to show she understood the message.

'_So his last name is Hayden, so that lady might have been his mother or sister or cousin.'_ A smile made its way across face knowing that it wasn't Drew's girlfriend. She followed to duo before they questioned what she was thinking about.

May look around the Pokemon Center, amazed at how huge it was. It had a gym, and an indoor pool for battles and to just relax. She even spotted a blending corner where she could make some new pokeblock for her next contest. But that brought May back to her a question she wanted to ask her rival earlier on.

"So Drew, have you won any contest ribbons?"

"Three contest, two ribbons," he simply stated, shrugging his shoulders. "How about you?"

"Oh, I've only been in two contest, but I got my first ribbon on my first contest try in Johto. It was really fun!" She finished with a light laugh.

"How have you adjusted to being a solo traveler?" May didn't look like the loner type, so he was curious to see her traveling without her little friends around.

May raised her shoulders a bit and looked at the ceiling. "It's okay I guess. I get to more contests faster than I use to, but it's lonesome sometimes even with Eevee around. I usually call home and talk to Max or my mom. I'm sure you know all about that."

The green hair co-ordinator stiffed slightly, however; May didn't catch up on it. "No…I wouldn't." He stuffed his hands into his pants pocket and closed his eyes.

The brunette oblivious to his sudden mood change leaned over to him with a smug look. "C'mon even the Great Drew has to call his mom sometimes, right?"

A long sigh resonated from his lips and slowly opened them. "I guess I would if she wasn't dead."

May's breath hitched in her chest and she bit her lip back for even pressing the subject. Guilt washed all over a body as she stepped back to the side of the hallway she was walking on. "I'm sor-"

"Here we are!" Nurse Joy chirped to lighten the mood around them. "Enjoy your night and if you need anything, feel free to call me at the front desk."

The pinkette smiled and waltzed back down the hallway before quickly rounding the hall corner. As the clank of her shoes faded in the distant, it left an eerie silence between the two co-ordinators.

May hugged her arms and sighed, still feeling bad for the comment she made earlier. She would have never made the joke had she known. But Drew didn't look mad, at least if he was, he covered it good; he looked distant as he turned the door knob on the door.

May would have been flabbergasted at the size of the room if her mood hadn't been so down at the time. The room was huge with a king size bed in the middle and full size bathroom. Not to mention it even had its own video phone and a balcony with a lovely view of the city.

No one made a sound as they entered the room but not before taking off their shoes at the front door. May's eyes wandered back to the video phone. She really wanted to call her mom but she didn't want to make Drew feel any worst than he did. No thanks to her big mouth.

'_I'll wait to call on a video phone in the main lobby. That way I can't make things any worst than they already are.' _

"I'm sorry…" The girl said sympathetically turning to face him. She held her hands behind her back uneasily.

Drew shook his head absentmindedly, "It's not as if you knew. Don't worry about it." He walked over to the bed and sat down on it with the girl following behind. He leaned on his knees with his arms supporting his weight and looked down at the seafoam carpet.

"I know but-"

"It's fine. It's not like it happened last month or anything, so there's no need to apologize. Of course, you could make it up to me." He added to last bit to the end knowing May wouldn't feel at ease until she felt she did something to help. He knew her far better than she knew herself.

"And what would that be?"

Drew shrugged and looked at the clock. It was just 10 o'clock. "Make dinner or something…"

The female crossed her arms and looked up in thought. What could she possibly cook with just a microwave and then something stuck her. She ran to her bag and began pulling out her articles of clothing, books, pokeballs, medicine, and finally she pulled out two containers.

"Instant Ramen, anyone? Its pork favored," she said with a radiant smile on her face.

The male co-ordinator scoffed as a sweatdrop formed on his head. Well, he certainly wasn't expecting that but, it was food. "Yeah."

o

_The ramen was surprisingly good…_

The duo both thought as they sat on the bed with empty bowls lying next to them and full stomachs to last them through the night. Drew was sitting up with his legs crossed and back slightly bend over towards May who was lying down on her side contently talking with the male. Her arm propped her head up as she talked about her first experience in Johto.

"…Azalea Town was my favorite place by far! They had so many berries; it was just perfect for pokeblock!" She laughed her thought of trying to make the block her first time with Ash and the others; none of her Pokemon liked it, not even loyal Blaziken! "Specking of which, do you want something to drink?"

Drew nodded so she hopped up and walked into the kitchen. "Is water alright?"

He shrugged so she took the silence as a yes. The brunette quickly returned with two glasses: one with a lemon sitting on the edge and one without.

"With or without the lemon?" May asked as she took her place next to Drew.

"Without."

They both sat in silence as they drunk the water. The rain acted as a pacifying grace as its light platter tapped against the window. Although no one was talking, the two were completely content with each others company.

Drew quietly watched May intake her drink in an unusual yet familiar matter. She idly began humming a light soothing tune as she slipped on her cup; the lemon never moved from its spot until she had finished her drink. She popped it in her mouth as though it wasn't sour at all. Then he knew why it seemed so recognizable.

"…Just like mom…" he mumbled subconsciously no one particularly but since it was just himself and May, the girl assumed he was addressing her.

"Huh? What it is?" the female asked, cocking her head to the side with a goofy expression on her face.

"Nothing." He said quickly dismissing the conversation.

May shook her head defiantly. She wanted to know more about his personal life but obviously he didn't like to reflect on it. "You wouldn't have said it if it was nothing. You obviously cared about her…a lot."

Drew crossed his arms in an annoyed matter and leaned against the headboard of the bed. "It's just things I remember, it doesn't mean anything."

"Lair," the co-ordinator said gruffly. "You talked about her earlier outside about how she wiped away your tears and you just said something about her again." This was the one time May had ever felt superior to Drew on any level. She had backed him into a corner because no one knew she could be so analytical on things that were important to her. "You even carry her picture around with you…"

"And how do you know that?" he asked already knowing the answer, eyeing his purple vest warily that hung loosely from her body.

May blinked twice as she realized the error in her last statement. Well at least she knew now that it was his mother. "Um…it sure is raining hard out there!" She laughed, trying to redirect the conversation unsuccessfully. May looked down and fiddled with her fingers knowing Drew was waiting for the proper explanation. "I got bored, so I thought I'd see if you had some candy or something to do…"

Drew raised a questionable eyebrow, "So if I had a piece of candy, you would have eaten and said nothing about it?"

'_Probably…'_ May thought but franticly replied, "N-no of course not! I would have asked first. But you didn't have any and I kinda just stumbled upon the locket." But now she fully understood why Drew was so handsome, his mother was breathtakingly beautiful. "Sorry…"

May glanced up to look at the male co-ordinator; his mind seemed to be anywhere but here in this time, so her apology when on answered. The female just didn't understand. Drew never acted like the type that ever had hardship or pain in his life. He sure he was arrogant and took every opportunity to pick on her but to her, he seemed happy. But maybe his personality was a cover up to how he truly felt inside. It was like he was crying without any tears…

"So…" she whispered, inching closer to him so that their legs barely brushed up against each other. May crossed her legs Indian styled and looked at him emphatically. "What was she like?"

The male co-ordinator continued to focus on his hands not really wanting to talk about this now or anytime later. But he knew better with May around. She was as stubborn as him and naturally curious. Yet one thing he knew was her intentions were pure; May wasn't being nosy or rude. She just wanted to get to know more about him. And he knew that he owed that much to her since he unconsciously brought up the subject.

"I don't really remember much about her since I was three when she died," Drew started, never losing focus off his hands, "but she always had this presence that made you know everything would be okay. She was a kind and gentle mother who always smiled and took care of me while my father worked." He began to stir the ice in his cup idly with his index finger as he poured out everything about his mother. "One thing I do remember most about her was her personality. She was clumsy yet graceful, soft-spoken but forceful at times and determined to be the best that she could be. In a lot of ways, she reminds me of you." He turned to her with one of his rare soft smiles.

May's face heated up severely as she directed her eyes to legs. There was a weird sense of happiness that flushed over her about resembling someone whom Drew cared so much about. It made her fell special for lack of a better word.

"But that all changed when my father walked out on her." Drew kept his piercing green eyes on her as he continued his story. May shyly glanced at him even though her face was still crimson. "She kinda just lost the will to go on. Even though she tried to hide it from me, it was evident in everything she did. A little after that, she died to some unknown disease. She was fine that morning and then, she just up and died. Like a bad poke opera…" he bitterly laughed at the comment.

Everything was still as he paused to reflect on his current statement. The atmosphere was tense, and May refused to breathe a word until she was sure his tale was over. She wished it was soon though; he was right about comparing it to a poke opera, but it was sad as well.

"That picture in the locket," he continued, "is a week before my parents were married. Neither of my parents were too trilled about the wedding because it was arranged as a way for the two companies to merge together. Both of my grandfathers owned billion dollar companies that wanted to expand to other regions but couldn't because of funds, so the businesses merged and forced their children to wed. I'm sure both had someone that they loved at the time and resented each other because of the marriage. After about some years, my father finally got fed up with it and left."

May didn't know what to say to that. She defiantly could say that she understands how he feels because she didn't. The female didn't have some sad depressing tale to illustrate she understood. But now she knew why he was a loner. Not because he's arrogant and egoistical like he wants people to believe.

'_He doesn't want to be hurt again, even though he'd never admit it. He was actually scared to get close to someone.'_ And for once, she could not blame him.

"I'm sorry to hear that…" May lamely replied.

"Hard to come up with anything to say to a story like that, isn't it?" he said sourly.

May shook her head slowly and cautiously placed her hand upon his own. "No, I'm glad you shared that with me. How about we go to bed now? It's pretty late." May said yawning.

Drew nodded and tossed his pillow on the ground and was about to go grab a blanket when May stopped him.

"W-wait, you don't have to sleep on the floor," the lass mumbled as she pressed her fingers together nervously. "You paid for this room, so you should have the bed."

The jade haired co-ordinator rotated to look at her over his shoulder, "Don't be silly, May. I'm not making you sleep on the floor."

"Well you can't sleep on the floor either; it wouldn't be right. Why don't you sleep in the bed t-too. I-it's big enough that we wouldn't be too close…" May slowly died down to a whisper feeling too embarrassed to continue.

Drew smirking at her discomfiture slipped under the covers. May scurried off with the dirty dishes in hand to the kitchen before returning without his vest or her red jacket; she only had on her white tank top and biker shorts now. May pounced in the bed earning a scoff from Drew at her playfulness. After settling down, both made sure they were lying on the far edges of the bed no matter how uncomfortable they were. Although they had no desire to do anything, they didn't want to be in a position to do anything.

The male reached over to turn the light switch off and the room faded into darkness leaving only a small nightlight illuminating the room. Drew closed his eyes and rolled over to face May and closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep.

May stared at the wall momentarily before turning to face the jade haired coordinator. The moonlight elucidated his features and made him look so adorable in his sleep. Even while lying down, hair always seemed to be perfect! May was so tempted to brush the strain on hair out of his face but she knew he may still be awake.

"Goodnight, Drew…" she muttered before closing her own eyes.

The male peaked open an eye and replied back, "Goodnight."

o

_The morning came to quickly…_

May thought as she rubbed the sleep out of her eye. She sat on the edge of bed waiting patiently for Drew to finish in the bathroom. She yawned tiredly and stretched her arms above her head. She had a goodnight sleep but she wasn't so sure if Drew had. He was up before she awoken and was in the bathroom. He did seem like the type to wake up with the though.

"Good morning, sleepy head," a voice said to the side of her.

She turned and smiled had the male who had emerged from the bathroom shyly. "Good morning…" She gathered up all her belonging and walked into the restroom. "I won't be long!"

After about 15 minutes, she emerged from the restroom in a pink tank top that and the words 'co-ordinator' in brown and some blue jean shorts. She also wore a half blue jean jacket that stopped under her breast line. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a loose brunette strain hanging in her face, and she wore some brown gloves to complete her outfit. Surprisingly, she found Drew in the mirror fixing his damp green hair in the style he liked it in.

"Okay, I'm ready to go!"

"I see once you wake up, you're a cheerful person again," Drew commented.

May rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Do you like my new outfit? I just got it the other day. I thought I needed a something new for Johto."

"At least you don't look like somebody's maid now." He snickered as her face erupted with anger. He stood up and slipped on his purple vest before opening the door and ushering May out of it. The female glared at him and hurried out the door.

The duo walked out of the Pokemon Center and back to the edge of Goldenrod City where they first came in. Under Drew's advice, May had transported Beautifly and Blaziken back into her party so in exchange, she asked him to take his Butterfree with him.

They traveled down the busy streets, content with each other's company. Just for the heck of it, they even let their pokemon out to get some fresh air. Beautifly and Butterfree danced circles around each other while happily singing in their unknown language. Eevee and Vulpix even got along well as they ran around their trainers feet, playing a game of tag. Roselia hung tight to Drew's right side and warily watched May as Blaziken did the same.

They both went into the PokeMart Department Store to stock up on supplies, making sure May brought some decent batteries and had a good supply. Drew insisted on paying for it much to May's dissatisfaction. They ending up arguing about it until May finally just gave in. More money for her, right? He even brought her a PokeNav, so she wouldn't be lost because of the automatic mapping system. The female blushed but happily accepted but not before asking if they could exchange numbers, so if she ever did get lost again, she could call for help and other things…

Finally, they reached their destination and neither pokemon nor trainer wanted it to end quite yet.

"So…you're going back in the forest?" May asked as they stood at the path that split Goldenrod and the forest.

"Yeah, I need to find a new pokemon to strengthen my team," he said as he watched her down cast expression.

"I really enjoyed our time together," she mumbled with a soft smile on her face. She walked forward to give him a hug goodbye but unfortunately her foot crashed into a pebble on the ground. May let out a cry but not before stumbling into Drew in the process.

The force of her fall caused both of them the tumble to the ground and roll down the flowery hill, entwined in the others' limbs. May squealed in amusement as Drew landed on top of her and flower petals rained down on them. One glided unto the brunette's nose and she giggled as the male brushed it off by blowing on her face.

"Um…sorry about that," May grinned as she laughed some more.

"I swear you are the clumsiest person on the face of the earth."

The pokemon watched the scene from above with curious eyes about what was gonna happen next.

"I already told you I'm only clumsy around you…" the girl cried playfully, grabbing his shirt. Her eyes softened and a shy smile graced across her lips.

"And why is that?" he asked as he felt her pull his face closer to her own.

"I dunno," she whispered, feeling his breath on her lips. "Maybe I just like you," their noses vaguely brushed passed each others, "a lot." She finished as their lips tenderly meet. The kiss was slow and undemanding, yet it held a lot of sweet emotion.

May ran her fingers through his emerald waves and sure enough, it was as soft as it looked! They finally released their kiss and sat up slowly. Both a little flushed and stunned at what just happened.

"I knew you thought I was sexy," Drew said smirking and giving her a small wink.

May blushed 10 hues of red. "W-what? That was just a thank you kiss for everything you did last night and today."

Drew just gave her an all knowing look but did say anything else as he stood up. "Well, I guess I better get going." He held out his hand to help her up which she gladly took.

"Yeah, be careful ok?"

"You too, no more tumbling down cliffs in the forest." May nodded sadly.

"Hey, Drew?"

He rotated with a questioning look on his face.

May turned his head to the side and avoided looking at him, "Do you t-think I could possibly travel with you?" Her cheeks were lightly flushed pink so were his.

He had never traveled with anyone, so it would be a new experience but this was one of the few people he trusted to know about his past life. They weren't rivals anymore but more of competitive friends. "If it will keep you from nearly killing yourself, I don't see why not. But don't expect me do go easy on you in any contest anymore."

"Excuse me?!" May shouted. "If I remember right, _I_ beat _you_ at the Grand Festival!"

Drew crossed his arms and huffed arrogantly, "And if I remember right, I beat you the last battle we had. I think slaughtered would be the better term."

The female growled remembering that he was indeed correct. "We'll just see about that the next time we battle, huh?"

"I guess so…"

The pokemon just sat and watched as the two argued back and forth amongst each other. Well, at least they have new friends to play with now. But one thing that stood out in each pocket monster's mind was that…

_This was going to be a long journey._

**The End **

_That took forever to write, and I'm glad it's over. It turned out better than expected. I checked it as much as I could for grammar mistakes, so if you find any, ignore them. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And as always, review please! _


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